The 1950s Called And Want Their Headlines Back: Italy Fails To Form A Government

For those who read Euro News, this seems like a normal “Dog Bites Man” story about Italy, but there’s more to it this time…

The 1950’s called and asked for their headlines back – As long as I’ve been old enough to read the front pages of the (British) newspapers, the Italian governments have been the butt of jokes: “Italians Struggle To Form Government,” “Italian Coalition Falls Apart After 6 Months,” “Fresh Elections Called In Italy…”

Giuseppe Conte (Vincenzo Pinto, AFP/Getty) But it IS different this time, as we see the will of the people clearly expressed through three generally right-wing, populist, parties: Beppe Grillo’s 5 Star, the (Northern) League, and Forza Italia, for a disengagement from the EU and a rejection of open borders. After some wrangling over details of their coalition platform, they picked academic Giuseppe Conte to be Prime Minister and form a government, and they started to name ministers.Paolo Savona, Economist In keeping with their platform, the coalition picked Paolo Savona, an 81-year-old economist and former Bank of Italy official, who won over the 5 Star and the League for strongly euroskeptic views, as the Economy Minister. That, unfortunately, was the last straw for the pro-EU Elites, including President Sergio Mattarella, who reject EuroSkepticism and are willing to blow up the election results, and probably the mood of the People as well.

Sergio MattarellaThe President is widely believed to have overstepped his constitutional bounds by rejecting the coalition’s proposed cabinet, and asking Carlo Cottarelli, a former International Monetary Fund official, to attempt to form a new government. Bear in mind that the majority of the People want less involvement with the EU, and that the popularity of both the 5 Star and League parties has risen further since the election, and you can see why this attempt to thwart the will of the people is likely to end in failure – the populist parties and their voters are already calling for new elections, less than three months after the last ones.

Carlo Cottarelli Are the elites really willing to risk the wrath of the people and an unstoppable majority for the populists by effectively appointing the IMF to run the country? It seems so. The Euro Roach Motel – you can check out any time you want, but you can never leave!

Listen to the anger of the coalition members here (Source, WSJ):

“We were ready to govern and we were told ‘No’,” said 5 Star leader Luigi Di Maio Sunday evening. “This is unacceptable. This is an institutional clash unseen before.”

Mr. Di Maio said he plans to make a request in parliament to have Mr. Mattarella impeached for allegedly betraying the state. A spokesman for Mr. Mattarella declined to comment.

On Sunday, Matteo Salvini, the 45-year-old leader of the League, suggested Italians should now go back to vote.

“If we have a minister who is not appreciated in Berlin, it means he’s the right minister … In Italy, Italians decide,” Mr. Salvini told supporters Sunday. “In a democracy — if we are still in a democracy — there’s only one thing to do: Let the Italians have their say.”

I’ll add one footnote: In an echo of the Greek (almost) revolt against the EU, as well as being Eurosceptic, Paolo Savona is somewhat to the left of Bernie Sanders on economic theory, universal income and more!

Mike is a British import of more than 30 years, who was a conservative in the days of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.

A staunch constitutionalist, Mike espouses all good causes toward the libertarian side of conservative – EG he who governs least, governs best. He believes that the Declaration, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights mean what they say, and that candidates for office should take their oaths of office seriously.
Here to defend, without irony “Your rights as Englishmen from distant and tyrannical government”, Mike knows whereof he speaks and exhorts all US citizens to live, breathe and teach our history and our constitution.